Niger : three dead in clashes between breeders and farmers in Maradi

A deadly clash opposed breeders and farmers on Monday, November 20, in the locality of Débi (Tessaoua) in the Maradi region.

«We have a death toll of three, including the village chief and two others who have not yet been identified. The gendarmerie has opened an investigation to determine the causes of this fight», Idi Saley, mayor of Maijirgui, told Sahelien.com.

According to a local source, «it all started when the village chief of Débi brought a summons to the breeders, following the damage caused by their animals. Unhappy, the farmers attacked the village chief and killed him. In anger, the farmers attack the breeders and kill two of them». Many wounded and extensive material damage have been recorded, according to the Interior Ministry.

Tuesday, the governor of the Maradi region went to the areas to try to bring calm. «Yesterday, with the governor, the prefect and the police, we visited all the area and the governor took all the measures with the police so that an appeasement returns to the the population» added the mayor.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, «twenty-three (23) people caught in the act of committing acts of arson on a camp have been arrested».

Sahelien.com is a news site created in February 2014 by Malian, Nigerian, Burkina Faso and American journalists, with the support of the Klédu Group (Mali) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).